The present invention relates to a keyboard and specifically, to a computer translation compatible keyboard for use with a stenographic transcribing device.
Stenography is a widely used technique for transcribing verbal communication into written text. Stenography involves: (1) making a record of the verbal communication, and (2) translating the phonetic record into a readable language, such as English. The stenographer does the transcribing by either shorthand, or more typically by using a stenographic machine.
Generally, stenographic machines have keyboards of twenty-two character keys. The operator depresses the appropriate combinations of keys, either singularly or in combination, to phonetically record a stenographic equivalent of the word being transcribed. The record produced may be retained on a paper tape or on a magnetic medium, such as a computer disk. A general description of a machine of this type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,319,273, entitled Stenographic Machine, issued to J. G. Sterling.
While stenographic machines provide an efficient and rapid means for recording verbal communication, translating the stenographic record to English is time consuming. The stenographer who performed the transcribing compiles the English translation by manually interpreting and reading the stenographic record.
Translation may be alternatively accomplished by later applying the stenographic record to a computer which translates the record to English. The computer is typically provided with a dictionary from which it matches the stenographic record to stored equivalents identifying the corresponding language words. An example of such a stenographic translator is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,557,927, entitled Stenographic Transcription System, issued to Wright et al on Jan. 26, 1971.
Heretofore, computer translators have been off line devices which were incapable of simultaneous, virtually instantaneous, translation. As such, conventional stenographic keyboards were not used to input word processing commands to the computer translator. Instead, conventional computer keyboards were used for editing after the computerized translation was completed.
The first real time translation system was devised by the inventor of the present keyboard and is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 795,944, filed Nov. 7, 1985, which application is incorporated by reference. This computerized translation system for the first time allowed real time translation and hence allows for the option of effecting word processing and control functions through a standard stenographic keyboard rather than a standard computer keyboard. However, the standard stenographic keyboard does not provide a key arrangement which allows for the recording of unambiguous words without defining special keystroke combinations which must be memorized by the operator. Also, the conventional stenographic keyboard does not provide independently any means for generating word processing or system commands. Consequently, special otherwise non-used, stroke combinations must be defined and memorized by the operator. This increases the complexity of utilizing a standard stenographic machine.
There are keyboard arrangements which may be used for transcribing verbal communication which are also compatible with word processors allowing the operator to access word processing functions, e.g. standard typewriter keyboards. These keyboards significantly differ from typical stenographic keyboards and are generally more cumbersome to use for stenography.
Another keyboard arrangement useful with an apparatus for transcribing and translating verbal discussions is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,558,820, entitled Stenographic Machine and System, issued to Baisch et al on Jan. 26, 1971. Again, the disclosed keyboard substantially differs from the typical stenographic keyboard. The Baisch keyboard provides numerous rows of keys arranged in both vertical and horizontal groupings. Each key grouping includes individual keys corresponding to a beginning vowel, beginning consonant, number, symbol, ending consonant, ending vowel or ending prefix. This keyboard possesses a greater number of keys than the standard stenographic keyboard requiring the stenographer to memorize the functions of numerous keys and concentrate on searching and depressing the specific key for a particular function.
There thus remains a need for a keyboard which closely resembles the simplicity and arrangement of standard stenographic keyboards, but is adaptable for use in a real time, computerized translation system to allow the stenographer, in conformance with a predefined stenographic stroking methodology, to more easily access word processing functions and enable unambiguous translation without the necessity of making multiple keystrokes.